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 COMMENTS...
"Lange 1 " vs. "F.P. Journe Octa"
 by A. Lange & Söhne / F.P. Journe |
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| Watch Magazine Editor |
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Sans aucun doute le choix est difficile voir impossible, car nous sômmes en présence de deux marques et deux montres exceptionelles. Pour l’occasion je vais choisir « l’Octa » de FP JOURNE pour le savant mélange entre tradition et modernité que François-Paul Journe transmet à son oeuvre. |
| Fashion/Life Style Editor |
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| Collector |
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Two exceptional timepieces with some features in common (offcentered subdials, similar complications, level of finishing, etc.) but very different animals. In one hand Journe’s Octa is an automatic watch with a quite high power reserve with a very clever and thin movement design which enables it to support different complications in the same base caliber (and same height), sharing production chain in plates and most of the pieces. Even being a very clever solution in terms of cost efficiency from a financial point of view, I find it in contradiction with the concept of “Haute Horlogerie” itself, and the end to end design a of the whole watch, especially talking about one of the most exclusive (yes I mean expensive as well) brands in the market. Call me romantic if you want, but knowing that, I feel this line in some way a little bit “Rolexed” (God forgive me for such a statement!!), but of course, that’s me. Invest in “Invenit” to save in “Fecit” seems to be the slogan of Octa line, quite opposite to Souvereign line. Useless holes in the main plate of my simplest Octa watch that are only useful in the Calendrier??, WHY?? Additionally Octa is incredibly finished and dial design is very pleasant to me, but I feel the watch a little too thin and weightless in my hands. Definitely I would keep my funds and save for a Resonance.
In the other hand Lange 1 is “THE DRESS WATCH” IMHO. A must have. Winding the watch is an incredible experience as it’s smooth as silk, layout is perfectly proportioned and looking at the movement is always a pleasure (even if ¾ plate is not made of rose gold). Probably the best finished movements in the market for “commercial” brands (Dufour dixit). Watch dimensions are also perfectly proportioned and thick enough to feel the watch in the wrist, but thin enough to avoid troubles with long sleeved shirt cuffs. And it’s cheaper than Journe’s Octa from a brand with better market recognition.
My winner is Lange 1 by a body. |
| Aficionado |
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Tough one, head says Lange, heart says Journe. And at this level, for me it has to be an emotional choice. I just cannot get on with the Lange dial layout or the case shape, but to be honest, I don't really like either. So I have to go for the Journe despite the movement, just because I like the case, but it's a shotgun wedding. |
| Watch Magazine Journalist |
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| Forum Moderator |
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It is difficult to decide for one of these, maybe that is why they have been put head-to-head. Both are masterpieces, both exclusive, both beat in precious metal cases, both have an almost identical layout... Challenge well chosen! Yet the outcome can be only one. It that case I must go with the classicism of the Lange. The Octa is great for collectors to complement their collections, once you already have several Langes. For a watch to become a classic it must first have a classic look to begin with. |
| Industry Writer |
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| Dealer/Jeweler |
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| Rep |
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| Importer |
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Wow, two heavyweights face o face. Incredible timekeepers, neat, and elegant. Really a hard one, but if I have to choose, I go for the Octa. I feel it more like an "author watch". |
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